$2.50 Rogonar-S v $250 APO-Rodagon-D v $1K Canon MPE Test

[ray_parkhurst]

No, I didn't know Rodenstock even made a Trinar 20mm!

You can get three for $25 here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rodenstock-Tri ... 2074840533

I've bought from this seller before and I think I mentioned to you that once they threw in a different lens or two for free. If you're interested, I'll split the lot with you!

They've got some other lenses I'd like to try but a bit too pricey for a shot in the dark.

I must have tested something like 100+ tube lenses mostly in the 80-120 range. I tested something like 20 or more 135-150s in the last month alone.

Wow

I was thinking that one advantage of the MS120 test is that it shows the upper potential of the lens. Perhaps it doesn't perform so well on another TL but you at least know that it can perform well, just a matter of how easy it is to find a TL that works with it.

Thanks for that tip. I like these short FL lenses for use as high power magnifiers, so if they don't work as lenses I have a backup use.

No problem, let me know how they perform if you do get them!

The 20mm Trinar's came in pretty fast since they only had to ship from SoCal. They actually perform quite a bit better than I expected. I tried them first as magnifiers, and they are very clear and sharp edge to edge without distortion, which bodes well for use as a taking lens. They are 14mm diameter so fit perfectly in Raf's 14mm - RMS adapter. I shot a potential Lincoln Cent DDO with it, at ~6x mag on APS-C. The field is flat, and the CA is well-controlled. Sharpness is so-so...it won't be winning any shootouts, but it's not too bad. It is going to make an excellent magnifier, far better than any 10x Hasting's Triplet out there.

Here's the 6x (stacked) shot:

[kaleun96]

No, I didn't know Rodenstock even made a Trinar 20mm!

You can get three for $25 here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rodenstock-Tri ... 2074840533

I've bought from this seller before and I think I mentioned to you that once they threw in a different lens or two for free. If you're interested, I'll split the lot with you!

They've got some other lenses I'd like to try but a bit too pricey for a shot in the dark.

I must have tested something like 100+ tube lenses mostly in the 80-120 range. I tested something like 20 or more 135-150s in the last month alone.

Wow

I was thinking that one advantage of the MS120 test is that it shows the upper potential of the lens. Perhaps it doesn't perform so well on another TL but you at least know that it can perform well, just a matter of how easy it is to find a TL that works with it.

Thanks for that tip. I like these short FL lenses for use as high power magnifiers, so if they don't work as lenses I have a backup use.

No problem, let me know how they perform if you do get them!

The 20mm Trinar's came in pretty fast since they only had to ship from SoCal. They actually perform quite a bit better than I expected. I tried them first as magnifiers, and they are very clear and sharp edge to edge without distortion, which bodes well for use as a taking lens. They are 14mm diameter so fit perfectly in Raf's 14mm - RMS adapter. I shot a potential Lincoln Cent DDO with it, at ~6x mag on APS-C. The field is flat, and the CA is well-controlled. Sharpness is so-so...it won't be winning any shootouts, but it's not too bad. It is going to make an excellent magnifier, far better than any 10x Hasting's Triplet out there.

Here's the 6x (stacked) shot:

Thanks for the info Ray, glad you have found a good use for them too. I didn't quite realise that they were so small, do you use them inside a larger adapter when using them as magnifiers?

A shame about the sharpness given the other qualities. Guess there is always the chance that it could perform better in another configuration but for now I think I will try gambling on some other unknown lens

[ray_parkhurst]

Thanks for the info Ray, glad you have found a good use for them too. I didn't quite realise that they were so small, do you use them inside a larger adapter when using them as magnifiers?

A shame about the sharpness given the other qualities. Guess there is always the chance that it could perform better in another configuration but for now I think I will try gambling on some other unknown lens

As a loupe they can be used as-is without a holder. Only drawback is they might be easy to lose in a pocket, but they do need some sort of holder to keep them clean, so that could be bigger and thus harder to lose.